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Revered in retirement perhaps more than during his fighting days, Emile Griffith died yesterday
at 75 after a long fight with pugilistic dementia. The first fighter from the U.S. Virgin Islands
to win a world championship, Griffith required full-time care late in life and died at an extended
care facility in Hempstead, N.Y.

An elegant fighter with a quick jab, Griffith’s brilliant career was overshadowed by the fatal
beating he gave Benny “ The Kid” Paret in a 1962 title bout. Griffith knocked out his bitter rival
in the 12th round to regain his welterweight title, and Paret went into a coma and died from his
injuries 10 days later.

The outcome darkened the world of boxing, even prompting some network television stations to
stop showing live fights. It also cast Griffith as a pariah to many inside and outside the
sport.

He went on to have a successful career after the fatal fight, but Griffith acknowledged later in
life that he was never the same boxer. He was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990 with a
record of 85-24-2 and 23 knockouts.